Internationale Betrekkingen en Internationale Organisatie

Are you interested in international issues? Would you like to study and work in an international environment? The IRIO Bachelor programme is a great stepping-stone to an international career.

In this three-year Bachelor's degree programme you will explore
political questions on an international level. You will focus on
international relations, especially on the role of international
organizations.

During the programme, you will approach issues in the field of
international relations from three perspectives: political,
economic and legal. In addition, you will receive thorough training
in a modern foreign language. You will acquire a broad
understanding of international relations.

Within the programme you can compile your own profile by choosing
optional modules. This offers many options to dive into an aspect
you may be especially interested in, for example by choosing a
minor. You can also opt for courses at other Faculties or
Universities, in the Netherlands or abroad.

As the programme is taught in English, a good grasp of the English
language is essential!

The Bachelor's degree in International Relations and International
Organization is a quota study (numerus fixus). This means that only
a limited number of students are accepted every year.

Are you interested in international issues? Would you like to study and work in an international environment? The IRIO Bachelor programme is a great stepping-stone to an international career.

In this three-year Bachelor's degree programme you will explore
political questions on an international level. You will focus on
international relations, especially on the role of international
organizations.

During the programme, you will approach issues in the field of
international relations from three perspectives: political,
economic and legal. In addition, you will receive thorough training
in a modern foreign language. You will acquire a broad
understanding of international relations.

Within the programme you can compile your own profile by choosing a
minor. This offers many options to dive into an aspect you may be
especially interested in, for example Development Studies. You can
also opt for courses at other Faculties or spend a semester
abroad.

As the programme is taught in English, a good grasp of the English
language is essential!

The Bachelor's degree in International Relations and International
Organization is a quota study (numerus fixus). This means that only
a limited number of students are accepted every year.

Studentprofiel

To study IRIO, you need to have a broad interest in
international news and the different perspectives on international
issues, as well as a critical personality - you ask questions until
you have all the answers. Also, independence and flexibility are
assets useful in dealing with the curriculum.

I had always been interested in international politics,
economics and law with a focus on conflict management and
humanitarian action. Since I was eager to study abroad and
International Relations is almost exclusively taught at the
graduate level in Germany, I decided to enrol on the IRIO Bachelor
program at the University of Groningen.

Given how the program is designed, I had the opportunity to
immerse myself in a wide range of subjects, including international
human rights law, monetary and trade theory, history of
international relations as well as research tools and methods in
social sciences. While there were a number of compulsory tutorials,
students were encouraged to organize themselves and required to
read and study a lot by themselves. While this
“freedom” proved to be challenging at times, my
lecturers and professors were always very accessible and stood
ready to answer any questions. They were also very supportive of my
professional plans.

Looking back, I have no doubt that it was the right decision to
come to Groningen for my Bachelor studies. What I learnt during my
time here has been extremely valuable in terms of both my academic
and professional development. In fact, it proved to be a crucial
stepping-stone to realize my personal goals. After completing my
studies in May 2012, I was fortunate to obtain a scholarship to
pursue a Master's degree in Washington, DC and subsequently started
working for the UN in the US and the Middle East.

After finishing school in Hungary, I took a gap year and was
looking for programmes that combined my interest in history,
geography and politics. The possibility of studying in English,
along with the reputation and competitiveness of the university,
convinced me to choose IRIO in Groningen.

So far, the programme has lived up to my expectations. The
biggest differences between secondary school and university are
freedom and self-responsibility. Most of the students in the
programme are passionate about their studies. Groningen is the best
place to be a student: the city is always buzzing, and I love the
way everyone cycles. It gives a really friendly feeling to the
entire city.’

I chose IRIO as I am passionate about making the world a better
place. The course units that interested me most were those dealing
with policy or theory. The interdisciplinary nature of the
programme gives you the opportunity to develop the necessary skills
to enter the world of policy-making at an international level.

The IRIO programme helps you understand how a policy
should work and how an organizational structure should facilitate
this policy. If you can comprehend how these function, you will be
equipped to work in this world.

The knowledge I have gained during my degree has come into
play in various parts of my life. For example, I am Chair of the
Board of Clio and Treasurer of our alumni association, Mitrany.
These board posts have enabled me to develop practical skills and
learn to work in a team. After I graduate, I would like to work for
a consultancy or the government.

The strength of the IRIO programme is expressly this multidisciplinary approach which brings together people whose interests diverge from each other and gives a lot of room to critically assess different kinds of world views!

I have always been intrigued by the way the
world around me is constructed. Thus, it felt like a natural choice
to opt to study the most complex social structure of them all:
International Relations! Furthermore, IRIO was the right path for
me because I took interest in too many things to decide
definitively what I wanted to study. And the simple solution was
therefore to study a subject which combines all these different
dimensions from politics and law to economics. The strength of the
IRIO programme is expressly this multidisciplinary approach which
brings together people whose interests diverge from each other and
gives a lot of room to critically assess different kinds of world
views!

I came to Groningen because it is one of the
few places in Europe where you can study IRIO as an English-spoken
undergraduate programme. The fact that the programme is exclusive
in this sense is actually quite fortunate as it attracts people
from different backgrounds who all, nevertheless, share a common
passion for world politics. What I find is that the learning
process does not limit itself to the lectures and seminars but a
great deal can be learned from interaction with fellow students as
well, when it comes to for example different cultural habits (which
are also by the way an eternal source for amusement as
well).

Hi there! I’m Casper de Boer, a second-year IRIO
student. I’m also following the UG’s Bachelor’s
Honours College programme. This year, I am also the
Editor-in-Chief of Checks&Balances, a magazine
published by the IRIO study association, Clio.

Why IRIO?

So, how did I end up in Groningen in the first place?
Quite spontaneously, actually. I decided to join a friend of mine
on an open day, where I found out about the IRIO Bachelor’s
programme. The programme’s multidisciplinary approach
immediately struck a chord with me. IRIO is not just a single
subject as such, but rather a mosaic of different disciplines, from
history to economics and from law to political science. In Dutch we
have a famous saying – ‘kijk verder dan je neus
lang is’ – which, literally translated into
English, means ‘look further than the length of your own
nose’. I think that this is exactly what needs to be done in
contemporary public debate. It is no longer sufficient to only
present your point of view, to think only from the perspective of
your profession and/or specialism. The globalized world of the 21st
century requires us to push back the boundaries of our knowledge by
combining different areas of knowledge, by listening to others and
by developing as individuals through these experiences. IRIO has
offered me the tools to do just this, by focusing on the various
different aspects that constitute the world of IR. I learn
something new about the ever-changing world around me every day,
which gives me the feeling that I’m participating in an
up-to-date, relevant programme.

I came to Groningen because I was interested in a study program
that was not offered at universities in Germany at that time. I
knew little about the Netherlands and the Dutch education system,
let alone the language. More importantly, I did not know anything
about the city that I would call home for the following three years
and yet I immediately felt at home..

Most of the inhabitants are students that gather on innumerable
patios to enjoy a drink in the sun during a study break or spend a
day in the Noorderplantsoen (Groningen’s most crowded park in
the summer). Many of the university buildings are spread over the
city center and so it is not unusual to be greeted by a fellow
student or a professor while you are biking to your next class. In
fact your bike will be your most valued companion throughout your
time in Groningen.

All of this is of course an important part of the student life
in Groningen, but what struck me most about my time here in
Groningen was the quality of my academic experience. Experienced
and renowned professors supply high quality academic knowledge and
ignited my passion for academic research in my field of study. They
provided me with important tools and skills that will be very
valuable for my future career and personal life. Moreover, learning
in a multicultural environment not only enhanced my academic
performance; it also changed my view on many study-related topics
and led me to become a more tolerant and open-minded person.

Hi!My name is Teun
van der Horst, I am 21 years old and second-year student
International Relations & International Organization (IRIO).
Two years ago, after I finished secondary school, I attended a
study that totally did not fit my liking, and afterwards felt a bit
lost regarding all the studies that were out there. Of all the
studies, I luckily found what suits me best, and hope to help you
to achieve the same.

Outside classes and lectures, I like being
sociable, creative and to engage with global developments. Last
year I did the lay-out and some writing for our student
association’s magazine, this year I give guest lectures on
international developments to secondary or practical schools’
students, and draw/paint as a hobby.

Why IRIO?

For a long time I have been a bit envious of
people having one ‘true calling’, a single interest in
for example technical physics or a health science that (I presumed)
guides someone’s study choice very easily. Now I know that
that’s a rather wrong assumption, and that for people with
many different interests there luckily is multidisciplinary
education. IRIO does have a focus on world politics and uses a
theoretical approach, but it also addresses social sciences,
economics, history, law and some other fields.

However, apart from a broad interest, I am
mostly fascinated by the global developments of politics, war,
democracy and diplomacy. I like how my study offers a more nuanced,
elaborated and scientific view on what we see regularly in the
news, or on what happens in wars and international conferences. I
think an interest in these subjects is an absolute must –
every IRIO-student is engaged with the news and with politics, be
it in an activist or scientific way.

Web Class

Are you at secondary school and want to know what studying at
university is like? The International Relations and International
Organization (IRIO) programme is offering a web class! This online
course from the University of Groningen is specially designed for
secondary school students. Get to know IRIO by doing some reading
and answering some essay questions or multiple choice questions.
The course takes about 10 hours in total.